When you purchase your Toy Fox Terrier, you will make it clear to the breeder whether you want one just as a lovable companion and pet, or if you hope to be buying a Toy Fox Terrier with show prospects. No reputable breeder will sell you a young puppy and tell you that it is definitely of show quality, for so much can go wrong during the early months of a puppy’s development. If you plan to show, what you will hopefully have acquired is a puppy with “show potential.”
To the novice, exhibiting a Toy Fox Terrier in the show ring may look easy, but it takes a lot of hard work and devotion to do top winning at a show such as the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club dog show, not to mention a little luck, too!
The first concept that the canine novice learns when watching a dog show is that each dog first competes against members of his own breed. Once the judge has selected the best member of each breed (Best of Breed), provided that the show is judged on a Group system, that chosen dog will compete with other dogs in his group. Finally, the dogs chosen first in each group will compete for Best in Show.
MEET THE AKC
The American Kennel Club is the main governing body of the dog sport in the United States. Founded in 1884, the AKC consists of 500 or more independent dog clubs plus 4,500 affiliate clubs, all of which follow the AKC rules and regulations. Additionally, the AKC maintains a registry for pure-bred dogs in the US and works to preserve the integrity of the sport and its continuation in the country. Over 1,000,000 dogs are registered each year, representing about 150 recognized breeds. There are over 15,000 competitive events held annually for which over 2,000,000 dogs enter to participate. Dogs compete to earn over 40 different titles, from Champion to Companion Dog to Master Agility Champion.
The second concept that you must understand is that the dogs are not actually compared against one another. The judge compares each dog against his breed standard, the written description of the ideal specimen that is approved by the American Kennel Club (AKC). While some early breed standards were indeed based on specific dogs that were famous or popular, many dedicated enthusiasts say that a perfect specimen, as described in the standard, has never walked into a show ring, has never been bred and, to the woe of dog breeders around the globe, does not exist. Breeders attempt to get as close to this ideal as possible with every litter, but theoretically the “perfect” dog is so elusive that it is impossible. (And if the “perfect” dog were born, breeders and judges would never agree that it was indeed “perfect.”)
If you are interested in exploring the world of dog showing, your best bet is to join your local breed club or the national parent club, which is the American Toy Fox Terrier Club. These clubs often host both regional and national specialties, shows only for Toy Fox Terriers, which can include conformation as well as obedience and agility trials. Even if you have no intention of competing with your Toy Fox, a specialty is like a festival for lovers of the breed who congregate to share their favorite topic: Toy Fox Terriers! Clubs also send out newsletters, and some organize training days and seminars in order that people may learn more about their chosen breed. To locate the breed club closest to you, contact the American Kennel Club, which furnishes the rules and regulations for all of these events plus general dog registration and other basic requirements of dog ownership.
The judge evaluates the dogs’ gait as the handlers walk them around the ring. Correct movement translates to proper structure for every breed.
Socialization pays off in the show ring as well. Your Toy Fox Terrier must be friendly and outgoing to the judge, who would penalize the dog for being shy or aggressive.
In the US, the American Kennel Club offers three kinds of conformation shows: an all-breed show (for all AKC-recognized breeds); a specialty show (for one breed only, usually sponsored by the parent club); and a Group show (for all breeds in the group, the Toy Group in the case of the Toy Fox).
For a dog to become an AKC champion of record, the dog must accumulate 15 points at the shows from at least three different judges, including two “majors.” A “major” is defined as a three-, four- or five-point win, and the number of points per win is determined by the number of dogs entered in the show on that day. Depending on the breed, the number of points that are awarded varies. In more popular breeds, more dogs are needed to rack up the points; in less numerous breeds, less dogs are needed.
At any dog show, only one dog and one bitch of each breed can win points. Dog showing does not offer “co-ed” classes. Dogs and bitches never compete against each other in the classes. Non-champion dogs are called “class dogs” because they compete in one of five classes. Dogs are entered in a particular class depending on his age and previous show wins. To begin, there is the Puppy Class (for 6- to 9-month-olds and for 9- to 12- month-olds); this class is followed by the Novice Class (for dogs that have not won any first prizes except in the Puppy Class or three first prizes in the Novice Class and have not accumulated any points toward their champion title); the Bred-by-Exhibitor Class (for dogs by their breeders or by one of the breeder’s immediate family); the American-bred Class (for dogs bred in the US); and the Open Class (for any dog that is not a champion).
The judge at the show begins judging the Puppy Class, first dogs and then bitches, and proceeds through the classes. The judge places his winners first through fourth in each class. In the Winners Class, the first-place winners of each class compete with one another to determine Winners Dog and Winners Bitch. The judge also places a Reserve Winners Dog and Reserve Winners Bitch, which could be awarded the points in the case of a disqualification. The Winners Dog and Winners Bitch, the two that are awarded the points for the breed, then compete with any champions of record entered in the show. The judge reviews the Winners Dog, Winners Bitch and all of the champions to select his Best of Breed. The Best of Winners is selected between the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch. Were one of these two to be selected Best of Breed, he or she would automatically be named Best of Winners as well. Finally the judge selects his Best of Opposite Sex to the Best of Breed winner.
At a Group show or all-breed show, the Best of Breed winners from each breed then compete against one another for Group One through Group Four. The judge compares each Best of Breed to his breed standard, and the dog that most closely lives up to the ideal for his breed is selected as Group One. Finally, all seven group winners (from the Toy Group, Sporting Group, Hound Group, etc.) compete for Best in Show.
To find out about dog shows in your area, you can subscribe to the American Kennel Club’s monthly magazine, the American Kennel Gazette and the accompanying Events Calendar. You can also look in your local newspaper for advertisements for dog shows in your area or go on the Internet to the AKC’s website, www.akc.org.
If your Toy Fox Terrier is six months of age or older and registered with the AKC, you can enter him in a dog show where the breed is offered classes. Provided that your Toy Fox Terrier does not have a disqualifying fault, he can compete. Only unaltered dogs can be entered in a dog show, so if you have spayed or neutered your Toy Fox Terrier, your dog cannot compete in conformation shows. The reason for this is simple. Dog shows are the main forum to prove which representatives of a breed are worthy of being bred. Only dogs that have achieved championships—the AKC “seal of approval” for quality in pure-bred dogs—should be bred. Altered dogs, however, can participate in other AKC events such as obedience trials and the Canine Good Citizen program.
CLUB CONTACTS
You can get information about dog shows from the national kennel clubs:
American Kennel Club
5580 Centerview Dr., Raleigh, NC 27606-3390
www.akc.org
United Kennel Club
100 E. Kilgore Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49002
www.ukcdogs.com
Canadian Kennel Club
89 Skyway Ave., Suite 100, Etobicoke,
Ontario M9W 6R4 Canada
www.ckc.ca
The Kennel Club
1-5 Clarges St., Piccadilly,
London W1Y 8AB, UK
www.the-kennel-club.org.uk
Even if a Toy Fox Terrier has drop ears, which preclude him from participating in conformation shows, he still can compete in obedience trials and often other performance events.
Before you actually step into the ring, you would be well advised to sit back and observe the judge’s ring procedure. If it is your first time in the ring, do not be overanxious and run to the front of the line. It is much better to stand back and study how the exhibitor in front of you is performing. The judge asks each handler to “stack” the dog, hopefully showing the dog off to his best advantage. The judge will observe the dog from a distance and from different angles, and approach the dog to check his teeth, overall structure, alertness and muscle tone, as well as consider how well the dog “conforms” to the standard. Also important, the judge will have the exhibitor move the dog around the ring in some pattern that he should specify (another advantage to not going first, but always listen since some judges change their directions—and the judge is always right!). Finally, the judge will give the dog one last look before moving on to the next exhibitor.
If you are not in the top four in your class at your first show, do not be discouraged. Be patient and consistent, and you may eventually find yourself in a winning line-up. Remember that the winners were once in your shoes and have devoted many hours and much money to earn the placement. If you find that your dog is losing every time and never getting a nod, it may be time to consider a different dog sport or to just enjoy your Toy Fox Terrier as a pet. Breed clubs offer other events, such as agility, tracking, obedience, instinct tests and more, which may be of interest to the owner of a well-trained Toy Fox Terrier.
OBEDIENCE TRIALS
Obedience trials in the US trace back to the early 1930s when organized obedience training was developed to demonstrate how well dog and owner could work together. The pioneer of obedience trials is Mrs. Helen Whitehouse Walker, a Standard Poodle fancier, who designed a series of exercises after the Associated Sheep, Police Army Dog Society of Great Britain. Since the days of Mrs. Walker, obedience trials have grown by leaps and bounds, and today there are over 2,000 trials held in the US every year, with more than 100,000 dogs competing. Any AKC-registered dog can enter an obedience trial, regardless of conformational disqualifications or neutering.
Obedience trials are divided into three levels of progressive difficulty. At the first level, the Novice, dogs compete for the title Companion Dog (CD); at the intermediate level, the Open, dogs compete for the title Companion Dog Excellent (CDX); and at the advanced level, the Utility, dogs compete for the title Utility Dog (UD). Classes are sub-divided into “A” (for beginners) and “B” (for more experienced handlers). A perfect score at any level is 200, and a dog must score 170 or better to earn a “leg,” of which three are needed to earn the title. To earn points, the dog must score more than 50% of the available points in each exercise; the possible points range from 20 to 40.
Each level consists of a different set of exercises. In the Novice level, the dog must heel on- and off-leash, come, long sit, long down and stand for examination. These skills are the basic ones required for a well-behaved “Companion Dog.” The Open level requires that the dog perform the same exercises above but without a leash for extended lengths of time, as well as retrieve a dumbbell, broad jump and drop on recall. In the Utility level, dogs must perform ten difficult exercises, including scent discrimination, hand signals for basic commands, directed jump and directed retrieve.
Once a dog has earned the UD title, he can compete with other proven obedience dogs for the coveted title of Utility Dog Excellent (UDX), which requires that the dog win “legs” in ten shows. Utility Dogs who earn “legs” in Open B and Utility B earn points toward their Obedience Trial Champion title. In 1977, the title Obedience Trial Champion (OTCh.) was established by the AKC. To become an OTCh., a dog needs to earn 100 points, which requires three first places in Open B and Utility under three different judges.
The Grand Prix of obedience trials, the AKC National Obedience Invitational gives qualifying Utility Dogs the chance to win the newest and highest title: National Obedience Champion (NOC). Only the top 25 ranked obedience dogs, plus any dog ranked in the top 3 in his breed, are allowed to compete.
AGILITY TRIALS
Having had its origins in the UK back in 1977, AKC agility had its official beginning in the US in August 1994, when the first licensed agility trials were held. The AKC allows all registered breeds (including Miscellaneous Class breeds) to participate, providing the dog is 12 months of age or older. Agility is designed so that the handler demonstrates how well the dog can work at his side. The handler directs his dog over an obstacle course that includes jumps as well as tires, the dog walk, weave poles, pipe tunnels, collapsed tunnels, etc. While working his way through the course, the dog must keep one eye and ear on the handler and the rest of his body on the course. The handler gives verbal and hand signals to guide the dog through the course.
The first organization to promote agility trials in the US was the United States Dog Agility Association, Inc. (USDAA), which was established in 1986 and spawned numerous member clubs around the country. Both the USDAA and the AKC offer titles to winning dogs. Three titles are available through the USDAA: Agility Dog (AD), Advanced Agility Dog (AAD) and Master Agility Dog (MAD). The AKC offers Novice Agility (NA), Open Agility (OA), Agility Excellent (AX) and Master Agility Excellent (MX). Beyond these four AKC titles, dogs can win additional ones in “jumper” classes, Jumpers with Weave Novice (NAJ), Open (OAJ) and Excellent (MXJ), which lead to the ultimate title(s): MACH, Master Agility Champion. Dogs can continue to add number designations to the MACH titles, indicating how many times the dog has met the MACH requirements, such as MACH1, MACH2, etc.
Agility is great fun for dog and owner with many rewards for everyone involved. Interested owners should join a training club that has obstacles and experienced agility handlers who can introduce you and your dog to the “ropes” (and tires, tunnels, etc.).
TRACKING
Any dog is capable of tracking, using his nose to follow a trail. Tracking tests are exciting and competitive ways to test your Toy Fox Terrier’s scenting skills and ability to search and rescue. The AKC started tracking tests in 1937, when the first AKC-licensed test took place as part of the Utility level at an obedience trial. Ten years later in 1947, the AKC offered the first title, Tracking Dog (TD). It was not until 1980 that the AKC added the title Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX), which was followed by the title Versatile Surface Tracking (VST) in 1995. The title Champion Tracker (CT) is awarded to a dog who has earned all three titles.
AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB TITLES
The AKC offers over 40 different titles to dogs in competition. Depending on the events that your dog can enter, different titles apply. Some titles can be applied as prefixes, meaning that they are placed before the dog’s name (e.g., Ch. King of the Road) and others are used as suffixes, placed after the dog’s name (e.g., King of the Road, CD).
These titles are used as prefixes:
Conformation Dog Shows
• Ch. (Champion)
Obedience Trials
• NOC (National Obedience Champion)
• OTCh. (Obedience Trial Champion)
• VCCh. (Versatile Companion Champion)
Tracking Tests
• CT [Champion Tracker (TD,TDX and VST)]
Agility Trials
• MACH (Master Agility Champion)
• MACH2, MACH3, MACH4, etc.
Field Trials
• FC (Field Champion)
• AFC (Amateur Field Champion)
• NFC (National Field Champion)
• NAFC (National Amateur Field Champion)
• NOGDC (National Open Gun Dog Champion)
• AKC GDSC (AKC Gun Dog Stake Champion)
• AKC RGDSC (AKC Retrieving Gun Dog Stake Champion)
Herding Trials
• HC (Herding Champion)
Dual
• DC (Dual Champion—Ch. and FC)
Triple
• TC (Triple Champion—Ch., FC and OTCH.)
Coonhounds
• NCH (Nite Champion)
• GNCH (Grand Nite Champion)
• SHNCH (Senior Grand Nite Champion)
• GCH (Senior Champion)
• SGCH (Senior Grand Champion)
• GFC (Grand Field Champion )
• SGFC (Senior Grand Field Champion)
• WCH (Water Race Champion)
• GWCH (Water Race Grand Champion)
• SGWCH (Senior Grand Water Race Champion)
These titles are used as suffixes:
Obedience
• CD (Companion Dog)
• CDX (Companion Dog Excellent)
• UD (Utility Dog)
• UDX (Utility Dog Excellent)
• VCD1 (Versatile Companion Dog 1)
• VCD2 (Versatile Companion Dog 2)
• VCD3 (Versatile Companion Dog 3)
• VCD4 (Versatile Companion Dog 4)
Tracking Tests
• TD (Tracking Dog)
• TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent)
• VST (Variable Surface Tracker)
Agility Trials
• NA (Novice Agility)
• OA (Open Agility)
• AX (Agility Excellent)
• MX (Master Agility Excellent)
• NAJ (Novice Jumpers with weaves)
• OAJ (Open Jumpers with weaves)
• AXJ (Excellent Jumpers with weaves)
• MXJ (Master Excellent Jumpers with weaves)
Hunting Test
• JH (Junior Hunter)
• SH (Senior Hunter)
• MH (Master Hunter)
Herding Test
• HT (Herding Tested)
• PT (Pre-Trial Tested)
• HS (Herding Started)
• HI (Herding Intermediate)
• HX (Herding Excellent)
Lure Coursing
• JC (Junior Courser)
• SC (Senior Courser)
• MC (Master Courser)
Earthdog
• JE (Junior Earthdog)
• SE (Senior Earthdog)
• ME (Master Earthdog)
Lure Coursing
• JC (Junior Courser)
• SC (Senior Courser)
• MC (Master Courser)